A calm evening

Chapter 67

You actually have little choice but to take it easy. As a final act, the EMT prescribed rest for Megan and her leg and Emma and her head. For you, she didn't really care. If it were up to you, the evening would look very different. While the girls would remain penned up in the house, you would fortify the property like Omaha Beach or Helm's Deep. But instead, Emma used your protective instinct to steer you in a different direction. You know exactly what she's up to, but you don't want to make it too easy for her. The scratches on her face and the bandage around your sister's leg still remind you of your failure and you won't be relieved of the obligation to blame yourself for it. The plan of Emma to let the girls take care of you and reduce some of your debt is torpedoed by Susan and Claire, who scurry like ants between the kitchen and living room and provide your group with everything you could need for an evening in front of the TV. So you have **** but to leave the selection of the series to the girls and make sure that Millie, Megan and Emma don't crush you between them. At first, Millie didn't want to sit next to you and said the two injured girls deserved it more. But Emma and Megan teamed up to convince her to drop onto your lap and to hug you. Emma smiled blissfully at you from the left, knowing that your heart can't be heavy forever and that being close to your girls will soon cheer you up. And damn she was right. With her head on your shoulder and her hands on yours, with the smell of Millie in your nose and her delicate body on yours and with Megan on your right and her arms around your other, the world feels fantastic. Even if you can't see anything on the TV and when you want to eat some of the many snacks that Susan and Claire have provided, you always have some hair of Millie in your mouth. The first scenes of The Witcher are shown on TV and soon the babble of the girls dies like the poor goat.

"Where's the goat?" Emma asks and giggles as you and she playfully look up to an imaginary car window.

"Huh? Right there. It's really mean that he doesn't help her,” pouts Claire, who didn't understand the allusion to Jurassic Park.

"Oh, we still have so much to teach them", your girlfriend laughs and you also have to grin. No! You are the bad guy here. Even if nobody realizes that, eventually they will. And then you mustn't have corrupted yourself further. Stay sad and... oh shit, what's happening right now? You clench your teeth and are even angrier when your mind briefly focuses on the series. Why is he called Jaskier? No! Concentration! You travel from one place to another with your thoughts. In a second you stand on the lawn with Josh and tear him to pieces. In the other, you stand alone at the grave of Emma Jackson and mourn your loss. Then your parents kick you out of the house because you didn't take care of your sisters. Millie ends up with her ex-boyfriend again, Megan looks for a biker and drives with him across the country. And you are alone. Then your girls take your hands more tightly when a brutal scene fills the screen and you are overjoyed again. After that, images penetrate your head of your future and the possibilities and dangers which lay there. It's exhausting, but you have to admit that you don't want to miss out on the good passages caused by the three girls around you. Even if you now prefer to drown yourself in self-reproach. Is it so bad that you sometimes get help? No. Only after these incidents is it not appropriate to feel so good. But the girls want it. Yes, but they certainly didn't want Josh to beat them up.

Millie literally fell around the neck of Emma when she found out what had happened to her. Your girlfriend made your little sister not to worry with the same precision as she did with you. Only with better results. Millie purrs contentedly on your lap and lounges on your body while Emma and Megan watch her happily from the sides. Megan put her leg up and it now rests on several pillows that Susan, Claire and Denise have pulled out from behind her backs. The three girls seem to be doing everything they can tonight to make it easier for you to do the tasks you've been doing here. You don't have to say anything because it seems that the three can read your mind today. Hopefully not everything, you think, as Millie circles her butt in your lap and looks teasingly over her shoulder.

Again, this is something you have to worry about. Not only the paramedics and police officers saw the intimate kiss of you and Megan that you allowed yourself on the lawn. The bad thing is that you don't know exactly who might have seen something. It is only certain that the cat is out of the bag. And even if not, your sisters' behavior has changed so much after the incident that it makes no difference either way. You tried to explain with the argument that the two just like you and care about you. But each of the girls just smiled at you knowingly. Well, the protective wall that you had built around your love wasn't very thick anyway. Rather thin as the ice sheet in the Antarctic. The eyes of Denise dart to you every few seconds and it's as if she doesn't even notice the show. She's just sitting on the big armchair to your left, has her legs pulled up and pretends not to look in your direction. Maybe her efforts as far as I'm concerned are easier to hide. It is definitely a good sign that she is no longer looking at you in anger.

Unlike Carrie. As you found out to your dismay, the girl observes you out of her place on a few pillows lying on the floor with looks that made Betty from the restaurant look like an angel of peace. And no one overlooks it. Everyone seems to have noticed, but Miss Grant doesn't stop that from keeping an eye on you. Each of your movements is carefully recorded and you are glad that you cannot really move among the three girls. She's probably resenting me for not anticipating Josh's attack. Or she thinks I'm just taking advantage of Emma. You have to grin slightly at the thoughts, which is lost in a funny scene in the series. There we are already two, girl. When it comes to guilt, you can line up behind me. Unfortunately, Carrie doesn't seem to see that. Until a few hours ago you would have happily plunged into the fight to convince her of your good intentions. But now you see yourself as a villain. Not good conditions to smoothen the waves.

But you are not the only one with your thoughts somewhere else. It seems to be the case that almost nobody follows the series. Which is actually a shame, but somehow you can understand it under the given circumstances. Maureen purposely sat on a simple wooden chair from the kitchen, crosses her arms over her chest and frowns slightly. It is very clear that she - like you - is in a completely different place and time. While Claire and Susan sink to the left and right on the armrests next to Denise after their work is done - both with a large bowl of chips and chocolate snacks in their hands - the appetite of Maureen seems to have passed. One would have to use very precise instruments to measure which of you two feels worse. Your big sister would probably 'win'.

You look around the room and realize that you are not the only one looking at Maureen. Megan next to you leaned forward slightly to see her. But she says nothing, just chews on her lower lip and finally looks at you. She raises her eyebrows. What with her? You look at Megan, pull a sad pout and shrug your shoulders. Sure she is sad about today. Blames herself. But what can we do? A very slightly reproachful look and a head tilted to the side answer your question. Talk to her, you idiot. A slight smile takes the edge off the statement. And a nod means: She is your sister. An even wider smile. You can do it. You grimace. Are you sure? Because I'm not. A slap on the arm - not so carefully this time - shows you what your sister thinks of the weak role in your relationship and two open eyes and an even more energetic nod let you admit resignedly that you will be the one who will save Maureen. And that your sisters want it that way.

"Hey Maureen, how do you like the series?" you ask, calling her out of her thoughts. The friends of Millie look at you curiously to see how the latest addition to the group fits her way into the dynamic. Karen and Rachel, who are sitting at the foot of the sofa where you and your girlfriends are sitting, also look over at the girl. Maureen instinctively pulls her legs closer to the chair and presses her thighs together, but puts a smile on her face, which is as wrong as a 150$ note.

"Pretty brutal, don't you think?" Ah, a question in return. Typical Maureen. You stop a giggle.

"That's great. I've always wanted to experience the Blaviken massacre.”

"It was definitely not disappointing," Emma says too, as she puts her palm on her healthy cheek, which she can lean against. Maureen is watching this closely and you see a memory appear in her mind that also plays out on her face.

"I just thought it was mean how the villagers treated the witcher," she murmurs, sucking something out of the fingers so that she doesn't ruin the mood. You feel the good feeling return to your stomach, which is shown whenever someone gives you a good opportunity to improve their life. It is pleasant and surprisingly easy to be able to help her.

"Yes, they could have treated him better. He didn't deserve to chase him out of the village. He just wanted to protect all parties.” Maureen looks at you skeptically and you remember that she is not used to playing such games. But at least she stays with you and waits for your next move. Your other sisters already know you well enough and also look up to you. Nobody watches TV anymore with the exception of Carrie, who also just stares straight ahead. "But sometimes it just doesn't work. The witcher is caught between two worlds. That of humans and that of monsters. But not all beings are monsters and he tried to unite both sides here. That sometimes breaks him down, but as far as I'm concerned, I respect him for trying.”

“Even if not all monsters end up being good, he doesn't give up. Because he doesn't give up hope in people.” You look at Millie in surprise and when your little sister turns her head and looks at you questioningly out of the corner of your eye, you have to grin widely.

"I couldn't have said it better. The witcher lives in both worlds. And people should respect him for it and not hate him. He believes in the monsters, is often disappointed, but if he doesn't try, nobody will.” Maureen looks at you first, then at Millie. Then she makes a happy grin on her sister's face when she gives her a wink and also manages something like a smile. Then Megan giggles.

"We'll teach you to smile. That looks like a car accident. ”Maureen snorts and holds a loud laugh, which makes your heart light.

"Just don't remind me. Do you have any idea how Finn drove today?"

"What? He is always such a careful driver." Megan exclaims.

"And he didn't even buckle up." Now Millie looks at you with concern.

"Is that true?" You clear your throat embarrassed but she doesn't give you a chance to answer. "Don't do that again... please. If something happens to you...” She can't look you in the eye. You kiss her on the cheek from behind and don't care about the audience or the serious looks of Carrie.

"Don't worry princess. I'm taking care of myself. And you.” You cannot control yourself and kiss your little sister again. Nobody cares except...

"Can we watch this stupid show now?" Carrie asks annoyed and stuffs microwave popcorn into her mouth.

The first episode is concluded and you stand up briefly to stretch your legs. But you like to pay the price. You knew from the start that it could be difficult to be with three women. But as long as numb legs are the worst thing that can happen to you, you got off easy. You growl as you make your way to the kitchen. You can say that out loud. You seem to be barely getting away with a lot lately. And now you kiss Millie on the sofa next to Emma. How far am I from an orgy on the living room carpet? Fortunately, you cannot end this thought because the McKinley siblings roar past you into the kitchen and stand in your way. You could flatten their delicate bodies like the tanks on Tiananmen Square did with the students. But the two are just too innocent and cute for that.

"What do you require Finn?" Susan asks cheerfully and seems to be playing into her role as well as her little sister. What are the two of them up to?

"Uh, I wanted to get something to drink and stretch my legs." You barely uttered the sentence when Susan happily dives into the oversized refrigerator.

"You definitely want a coke, right?" Her voice sounds dull because of the fridge but not can hide the joy in her voice and also in her attitude when you agree embarrassed.

"I'll get you a glass!" exclaims Claire and runs past you. Perplexed you find yourself in the kitchen again without a task and look at the two girls as they meet your need for a sugary soft drink.

"Girls, it really isn't necessary" you try to slow down their cute enthusiasm when the two open a drawer and take out the knife that you almost cut your finger off with. With wide eyes you watch the two of them cut a lemon into pieces, giggling excitedly, and handing you a glass of Coca Cola with ice cubes and lemon that you couldn't do better yourself.

"And now put the knife away - carefully - and come back in," you warn the two. "The others definitely need something, too." The two sisters follow you on the verses and watch you with eagle eyes as you sit down and sip your drink.

"Aaaahhhh. Just perfect. Thank you very much.” The two beam and Claire instinctively reaches for her sister's hand. Then they gladly follow your suggestion to also take care of the others.

"Does anyone else need anything from the kitchen?" Susan asks the group. Everyone is too perplexed to answer and just look at you three questioningly. You shrug your shoulders embarrassed, hoping not to cause another storm. Then a delicate hand goes up at the other end of the room. You and the sisters look over at Denise, who has not moved from the armchair. You have rarely seen her as nervous as you do now. Her eyes dart from the McKinleys to you and back again. Eventually, they stick to a spot on your chest.

"I also am thirsty," she murmurs, and it sounds as if she would ask about the establishment of her own small empire, including an army and courts, and a senate in the garden, and not about something vital and self-evident.

"Sure," says Susan, looking at her sister.

"What do you want?" asks Claire but apparently couldn't have raised a more sensitive topic. Denise struggles with herself for a few long seconds. She raises to an answer several times, but cannot bring herself to speak any words. Then finally she says something.

"Finn?" You raise your eyebrows. Claire and Susan look at you in surprise and Carrie takes an angry breath. Then your eyes meet those of Denise and you understand. Right now, from every possible day. But you promised her. You will be there for her and even if you are not convinced of yourself, Denise seems to be.

"Do you two make your girlfriend a fabulous cola as you did for me?" you ask Susan and Claire and the two storm like cheetahs into the kitchen. Again you hear giggles and excited babble. You look at Denise, who has to lower her eyes again and turns as red as Mars on a sunny day. But maybe I just found evidence of some life in a place I thought was bleak?

When Denise gets her glass in her hand, she does not look at Claire, who is standing in front of her, but at you and says: "Thank you." Clair does not seem to mind and so it is you who rubs his head somewhat embarrassed. But still, you see how happy the girl seems to be and sips her straw under the curious looks of Claire. You let yourself sink back into your seat and Millie stands in front of you. You can hardly wait to feel your sister in your lap again, near you and under your protective shield, which you first have to put up again. But she surprises you by not sitting down and looking around at her friends instead.

"Do we want to swap places?" she asks and you're already afraid of being overwhelmed here. You actually have no problem being around the three girls. Denise definitely deserves that for what she went through and what you promised her. And Claire and Susan have also worked out a reward for their efforts. Reward? What are you? Oh admit it, you want that too. But the question remains how to manage it and when the three girls look at each other and Claire and Susan start to laugh again, a cold shiver runs down your spine.

"Ladies, I'm flattered, but I don't think I can manage to..."

"I think I'm going to sit somewhere else," Megan said lightly after looking at Millie and also gets up. You follow her with your amazed eyes and watch her sink to your feet and take a seat next to her friends. And when Emma announces that she is going to join Carrie, you find yourself alone on the large sofa and feel like a king, but who doesn't understand what is going on in his kingdom. The three places next to and on top of you are not long vacant and are soon be occupied by three new inhabitants who feel very comfortable within the confines of your small empire. You, on the other hand, no longer understand the rules of the world, but after looking at your sisters you have to realize that you no longer think about your mistakes. Instead, three girlish bodies that nestle against you catch your thoughts. A dream seems to come true for Susan and Claire and the series is forgotten. The two immediately start talking about how much fun it is for them to take care of you and the girls. Millie intervenes in the conversation for your help and thanks the two for taking good care of her sister and Emma. When you also express your thanks - in a tight voice and trying not to get hard - it is as if you are fulfilling a heartfelt wish for the two. Denise is a completely different story. At first, she was standing in front of you and her looks in your lap can only be described as longing. But a good deal of nervousness also spoke from her.

"May I..." she asked and played nervously with her fingers. The two girls at your side giggled but said nothing else. You had **** but to nod gently. With everything that happened today, it wasn't the strangest thing to happen to you. Now, that Denise is sitting on you and feels you on her back, her behavior changes from second to second. While Megan, Karen and Rachel are actually interested in Aretusa and the school's strong women, Carrie prefers the power games in the living room to those on television. And while Emma presses her glass of water against her bruised cheek, something completely different is happening on and next to you.

You don't really know the McKinleys that well. You learned about them from Millie, yes. Strict parental home, good grades, many activities after school, culture and knowledge, stress and pressure. But why the two of them respond so well to you, with the best will in the world, you don't know. And Denise seems to melt on you and becomes more and more relaxed the longer she feels your stomach, which rises and falls below her. Sometimes she even moans contentedly. Only very quietly, but you still enjoy it every time she relaxes on you. Unfortunately, you can only leave it to her to stabilize her position on you, since your other extremities are seized by Susan and Claire. Actually, you would also like to have a handful of chips. Something like that is part of a TV evening. But the girls who greedily cling to you don't allow that. To make matters worse, they consume the chips in the large bowl at a pace that takes your breath away. You look longingly at the gold-fired delicacies and are torn between them and the wonders on your body. Finally, Claire realizes your inner conflict when a particularly loud sigh from Denise makes her look over at you.

"Oh damn it!" It escapes her and the heads of Susan, Megan and Emma also fly over to you. "Do you also like some?" asks the younger McKinley frantically. You just have to show a hint of a nod and she has already pushed away from you, which pushes the air out of your lungs and Denise wiggles dangerously. Claire rushes to a full bag of chips, pours them into the bowl and refills them.

"Unfair" pouts Susan and shows her more **** side. You look over at her and see an actual hint of sadness on her face. Rather surprised than demanding, you indicate that you could still use a glass of cola after you are done with the chips. Again, you won't be able to finish the sentence until the butt of Susan, which is swaying slightly in her shorts, has disappeared into the kitchen.

"Please bring me another glass of iced water," Emma calls so as not to make it so difficult for you and you look at your friend gratefully and hurt. Emma has suffered a slight concussion from her adventure and your heart bleed out if you remember it. But your girlfriend's heart-warming smile cauterizes the wound again immediately. Soon you find yourself in the now very familiar warmth of three bodies, only that they belong to other girls than those with whom you have already had sex. Can it get any more surreal? Yes it can. Immediately after the question, the fragile-looking fingers of Claire wrap around your hand and, without speaking out, Susan clings to your other arm. You are afraid that blood may shoot out of your nose like from a water hose, but that's not all the girls have in store for you.

"Uh... I can't eat anything" you whisper in the ear of the two sisters, always careful not to pay attention to the rest of the goings-on on the sofa. Carrie has finally been able to tear herself away from you and is now leaning against Emma, who always looks over at you. It almost seems as if she wanted to get close to you... or ask for your permission for something. You just nod, you have no idea what your girlfriend wants from you. But to be able to forbid her anything in this situation does not occur to you in your wildest dreams. You don't think anything of it when the two sit closer together but Emma positions herself so that she can always look at you. The girls at your side have heard your objection, but don't seem to be doing anything to get you out of their grip. Instead, Susan quickly grabs the bowl of chips and Claire reaches inside. Ne, they cant... But they can, will and do it.

When the fingers of Claire touch your lips and put the chip in your mouth, the girl looks as happy as you have never seen her before. You grin at her with your mouth full and a rather embarrassing smile and she shines back like a scientist who has solved the problem of her lifetime. You are a little embarrassed, but all three of your friends seem to allow it and you keep telling yourself that it can't be that bad if Megan, Millie and Emma agree.

"Oh god Eeeehhhh..." Susan suddenly groans when someone's head is struck off on TV in a spectacular way. "That's disgusting." She almost drops the bowl of chips and Claire quickly catches it.

"But be careful!" She calls slightly angry and Susan quickly recovers.

"Sorry" she murmurs and holds the bowl again so that Claire can reach in without problems. The two smile at you happy again and continue to make you feel like a Roman emperor. "Here," says Susan and hands the glass of cola, on which drops have already formed. She holds the straw to your mouth and when you're done, you nod to her. She also looks like she has won a prize.

"The effects are pretty first-class," Maureen suddenly let her voice be heard. You look at her and are relieved to find her face relaxed. This whole circus must seem particularly new and confusing to her and you can't blame her if she feels weird about it. But like a fighter, she wipes it aside and starts a conversation with you, which makes you very happy. "Do you think this is CGI or practical?" She asks when three more people are cut on the screen.

"I guess CGI was put over a stuntman," you guess. Susan, Claire, and Millie flinch as a severed arm flies through the air, but you, Megan, and Maureen whistle approvingly.

"You are a bloodthirsty family," grins Karen from below and also reaches into the bowl with the chips. With her mouth full she says: "He uy an ou ere oth in a feny oay"

"What?" Comes from several mouths. Karen swallows exaggeratedly and corrects herself.

"The guy and you were both in a frenzy today." The room becomes very quiet. The last scenes of the third episode are just running on the screen and until the end credits run you all pretend that you are not thinking about her words. But finally the episode is over and when the series stops nobody can stay out of the conversation. The only question is who says first.

"I'm very sorry for what happened today." You had to be the first to raise your voice. It doesn't sound as happy in the least as it should be with three young and beautiful girls around you. "I disappointed you all. I should never have allowed Josh to get too close to you.” The girls all look at you but nobody says anything. Even Carrie just stare.

"I don't want to hear a word of that anymore Finn." It is Emma speaking to you. Her voice is calm and controlled. Maureen cramps in her chair. "You saved my life."

"But if I hadn't been..."

"If you hadn't been, I would still be sad now. If you hadn't been, Maureen would still be with this rat now.” Your big sister is getting small like a mouse but has to admit that your girlfriend is right.

"You were always been good at taking care of others," Megan says, feeling her sprained leg, lost in thought. "But don't forget that you also have others you can count on. I, Millie, Emma, we are all there for you.”

"We are also grateful to you," says Susan and looks at her sister.

"I would have gone to him without you," Denise murmurs.

"Without me, you wouldn't have gotten into this situation at all", you respond almost angrily. Why don't the girls understand that you've made the biggest mistake of your life? Why aren't they angry with you?

"We both know what situation I would be in", Denise replies with astonishing verve. She is not broken, you see. She only enjoys the freedom she has. The freedom that I give her.

"Without you, I would still be hiding behind my books and would never have found the courage to defend Millie and the others," says Emma, and she and your little sister look at each other. "Without you, I wouldn't have earned, what I can fight for now."

"And without you, I would never get along with Millie as well as we do now." Megan knocks you on the arm.

"And who knows what would have become of us if you hadn't been there when we needed you the most."

"Millie is right," Susan says of the last statement. "I feel the same with Claire."

"Oh boy, I don't think you have any chance of feeling sorry for yourself," grins Karen. And damn it, she's kind of right. In any case, it feels good to have the support of the group. You give up and surrender to your destiny, which cannot be really bad with these women. You look over to Maureen, who still has to process the whole thing. For her, this kind of cohesion is something completely new.

"Yes, that's how it usually works when I doubt myself," you say with mock resignation. "No chance. They **** me to be the hero."

"You can do it all by yourself," smiles Emma. "We're just happy about it." In turn, the nod and smile and soon the next episode will begin. And now you can actually focus on the storyline. Yes. You really don't have time to distrust yourself. You have enough people to tell you that they like you. And if you don't trust yourself, trust the love they give you.

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